Lewis
Henderson Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
When Lewis Henderson was young, he dreamed of being a famous
surgeon. He always liked watching hospital shows and imagined
himself in the operating room. Today, he works as an Emergency
Medical Technician (EMT). Even though he's not running
the operating room, he still helps save lives.
Lewis went to college because he wanted to be a doctor.
He passed all his courses, but he had a very hard time with
some of the science courses required for medical school
– like organic chemistry and molecular biology. That's
when he started thinking about becoming an EMT.
He realized he might not make it as a surgeon, so he decided
to use his medical skills to become an EMT instead. "I
was disappointed about giving up my dream of becoming a
surgeon," Lewis says. "But my years of medical
training were great preparation for a job as an EMT."
Lewis took a certificate course to prepare for the EMT
exam, passed, and was working as an EMT-in-training within
two years. EMTs are the first in line to help sick or injured
people before they get to the hospital. They usually work
in ambulances and help stabilize patients before they get
to the hospital.
EMTs also save just as many lives as doctors. "This
is high-stakes work," Lewis says. "It's
great for someone who wants to work in medicine and help
people. You need to work well under pressure. You have to
be ready for anything – car accidents, heart attack
victims, injured kids, you name it." The pay and benefits
are excellent, but the hours are long. EMTs often have to
work night shifts.
Even though he's not a surgeon, Lewis doesn't
feel like he settled for less. "I love this job. It's
the kind of thing I've wanted to do my entire life.
It took me a while to figure out what I was really good
at, but now I feel like I'm living out my dream every
day."
Lewis
Henderson
